1. Field
Embodiments relate generally to glass compositions and more particularly to infrared (IR) transmitting glasses useful for, for example, windows, waveguiding fibers, and/or host glasses for luminescent dopants.
2. Technical Background
U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,889 “Infrared Transparent Selenide Glasses” discloses alkaline earth Ga and/or In-containing selenogermanate glasses comprising at least 5% RSe (where R=alkaline earth), 0.5-25% Ga2Se3 and/or In2Se3, 20-70% GeSe2 with the provision for rare earth dopants. However, due to the relatively Ga- and/or In-poor nature of the compositions, it is likely that rare-earth dopants in such glasses are clustered and, therefore, characterized by reduced luminescent efficiency.
It would be advantageous to expand the range of BaGaGe selenide glasses that can be synthesized. Moreover, it would be advantageous to have “pergallous” glasses that may provide for a greater intensity/efficiency of rare earth luminescence.